


TLC

by Freedoms_Champion



Series: Butt Out, Ozpin! [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, M/M, No character bashing, Ozpin just has a lot of plans, Ozpin worries about everyone, Tai's house has a life of its own, entire team was a thing, friendship snuggles, gardening is Tai's true love, injured Qrow, weird uses for Aura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:24:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24460480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedoms_Champion/pseuds/Freedoms_Champion
Summary: When Qrow gets hurt on a mission, Ozpin would ordinarily take care of him. Except this time, because Ozpin is due in Vacuo for meetings. So, he sends Qrow to recover at Tai's.There are no ulterior motives going on here at all, why would you say something like that?
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Ozpin, past Qrow/Tai
Series: Butt Out, Ozpin! [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764307
Kudos: 24





	TLC

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> I really love Ozpin, but he takes a longer view of things than everyone else and that can be hard to keep up with. So his meddling for other people's good can be a little annoying to people who don't know him as well.  
> Plus, Qrow and Tai need to be friends.

Sometimes, Qrow wasn’t sure Aura was all it was cracked up to be. Sure, when used properly, it gave Huntsmen unimaginable abilities they could use to defend humanity and that was great. Even if it required a lot of training to use and drained energy the more you used it. But then there were times where Aura was not as helpful as it claimed to be.

He’d fought the mammoth Grimm to a stand-still before it broke his Aura, then he’d lured it close enough to shoot it with Harbinger before it could kill him. Now he was laid up in the hospital, waiting for his Aura to recharge before he could get back on the mend.

“Qrow, I’m going to have to pull you from active duty for a while,” Ozpin said, pushing the billowy white curtain aside and sitting on the edge of Qrow’s bed.

“I’ll be fine in a few days,” Qrow protested. It was bad enough that he was trapped in the hospital where anything could go wrong, and the doctors had taken away his flask. If he wasn’t taking jobs for Ozpin, it would leave him with way too much free time.

“I know that, which is why you won’t be on leave for very long,” Ozpin said, a small smile easing onto his serious features. “However, I’m heading to Vacuo for a series of meetings and I won’t be able to keep an eye on you. I’m sending you to recuperate with Tai for a week or two.”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “I think I prefer if you made Goodwitch do it again,” he grumbled. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Tai, in his own way. The problem was that he’d never been sure where they stood, and Ozpin’s recent meddling hadn’t made it any clearer.

“Qrow, don’t be difficult. I’ve been worried about him recently. Yang’s gone to Signal, and Ruby has already made it clear she intends to follow as soon as she can. Like all parents, he’s been faced with the fact that his daughters won’t be children forever.” Ozpin paused and gave Qrow a serious look over his glasses. “If you don’t mind, try and give him any support you can while you’re there.”

The significance weighing those words might have crashed through the floor, it was so heavy. Qrow couldn’t help a mocking laugh that turned into a coughing fit as it aggravated his wounds.

“Oz, I love you, but haven’t you figured it out yet? Tai’s not going to sleep with me. We got over that at Beacon,” he wheezed between dragging shallow breaths over the broken glass that had replaced his insides.

Ozpin reached out to smooth Qrow’s hair back, but a tiny frown had appeared over his eyes. The ghostly brush of his Aura over Qrow’s skin gave him enough strength to get a proper breath without too much pain.

“Love, I’m aware of that. Still, whatever you can offer him, try to remember to do so. Besides, it’s entirely possible that he might surprise both of us.”

Qrow didn’t agree, but he kept that to himself. As usual, he’d said the wrong thing. Ozpin liked to think he’d lived too long to have insecurities, but he did have one left. Questions to his judgement and ability to predict the actions of others always miffed him, for good reason. If Ozpin couldn’t make accurate predictions, he would be less likely to succeed in defending the world from darkness.

So, Qrow would let his husband keep his delusion that Qrow was willing and likely to have an affair with Tai, of all people. He couldn’t say confidently that he would never be unfaithful to Ozpin, but Qrow was pretty sure Tai wasn’t on the list of possible candidates. Raven had abandoned him, but their daughter, Qrow’s niece, had come out of that relationship. Restarting his brief relationship with Tai would be too weird for words.

Not to mention, Summer had been more like a sister than Raven had ever been and there was no way Qrow was going to disrespect her memory like that.

“Hey, if you’re going to keep pushing affairs on me, I’m going to feel unwanted,” he said, falling back on his oldest ploy: teasing Ozpin. “If you don’t want to have me around, it might be better to say so.”

Ozpin narrowed his eyes. Qrow allowed himself a crooked grin, even if it did make the bruises along the side of his face ache. Ozpin knew him too well to think he was serious, but he cooperated admirably.

“Why would I ever say such a thing?” he said in what Qrow called “the ultimate stuffy voice.”

Before Qrow could come up with a response, Ozpin leaned forward and kissed him. Not hard, as it went, but with an intensity that clearly told Qrow his own little insecurity had been wrong yet again. Qrow’s entire arm ached as he brought his hand up to Ozpin’s shoulder, but he didn’t care. Ozpin inhabited a lonely place in the world; people respected him too much to ever casually touch him. If not for him, Qrow was pretty sure Ozpin could go years without contact on his skin.

Before Qrow could move his fingers beyond the edge of his collar, Ozpin pulled away. His eyes sparkled, presumably to go along with the uncharacteristically smug smile playing around his mouth. Qrow scowled.

“You wanted me to do that, didn’t you?”

“Qrow, I know I ask so much from you. I don’t think it’s too much for me to repay you.” Ozpin shrugged. “Say hello to Ruby for me.”

Qrow controlled the urge to roll his eyes or otherwise let on to how much Ozpin still drove him crazy, knowing that letting it show was all his Semblance needed to latch onto Ozpin and bring him bad luck. Ozpin tripped often enough without Qrow’s “help”.

He did grumble a bit when Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port came to take him to Tai’s, mostly to keep up appearances. The truth was, now that he’d had time to consider it, a week or two at Tai’s did sound pretty good. Qrow would never admit it, but he loved the atmosphere of Tai’s little house, where the girls ran wild and the cabinets were too high on the walls because Raven had put them up. Summer’s spirit still resonated from the walls, wrapping everyone who entered in warmth. Maybe it was too bright and cheerful for Qrow’s tastes, but that house was the only place in the world where he still felt close to his team.

His relationship with team STRQ had always been a difficult one, due to his Semblance, the mission he and Raven were supposed to be on, and his inability to relate to the normal kids. Summer had embraced him anyway, pretty much literally. When Qrow couldn’t sleep because of the nightmares, she’d wrapped around him and sort of oozed peace and safety. Tai had welcomed him too, in a prickly, antagonistic kind of way that Qrow had at least partially encouraged. That summer fling (he was aware of the irony) had given them a lifelong understanding of each other, even if they still picked fights constantly.

The scraps of his team and Ozpin were the things that kept Qrow going when nothing else went right. Raven and Summer’s daughters, Tai’s children, needed a future that would be safe, or as safe as it could be in this world. Qrow had made it his private mission to do everything he could to provide one for them.

He’d have to stay calm and serene, though, to keep his Semblance from disrupting Tai’s house. Qrow had never stayed there for more than three days, he wasn’t sure if he could do it. Especially since Qrow, calm and serene, and Tai really didn’t go together.

“UNCLE QROW!!!” Ruby screamed the second he arrived outside the house, just barely stopping in time to avoid knocking him off his feet. She did still hug him too tightly, but Qrow suppressed the pain and lifted her briefly off the ground.

“Is that little Ruby?” he asked, pretending not to recognize her. “Can’t be. My niece is about this tall.”

He gestured to a point about level with her collarbone, making her pout and laugh at the same time.

“Nope, I grew!” she told him, stretching her hands over her head to emphasize.

The family dog, a black and white corgi named Zwei, trotted over to sniff at Qrow’s boots with great interest. Ruby fired off a stream of updates on what she’d been doing, which Qrow registered dimly. Much as he hated being unfit, his legs were starting to shake.

“Ruby, you have to let Uncle Qrow came inside,” Tai said, appearing in the doorway. Ruby apologetically hunched her shoulders, a movement that reminded Qrow so much of Summer that he didn’t even notice how uncomfortable it was to walk. Ruby and Tai got him settled on the couch before Qrow got his wayward attention back on task.

Zwei climbed onto the couch and stretched out along Qrow’s leg, his nose a gentle weight on Qrow’s ankle that he didn’t mind too much.

“… and then Yang punched that guy in the face! He didn’t bother either of us after that, but Dad said that’s not really the way to solve problems,” Ruby was saying, jumping around the room in her excitement.

“Good for Yang,” Qrow said, an easy grin coming to his face. “Sometimes, there aren’t any other ways to deal with problems like that.”

“Oh, she’s going to be so mad she missed you visiting! Maybe you could go see her at Signal when you feel better. She’s been doing great there; I already got a letter about all the friends she’s made!”

“Sure, kid,” Qrow said. He’d been to Signal a few times over his career to teach guest classes, but there wasn’t a lot of demand for the kind of skills that he had.  
Eventually, Ruby and Zwei left to play outside and Qrow dropped off to sleep. Between the aches in his body and the painful memories crowding his heart, it wasn’t very restful. Qrow woke up in the afternoon, desperate for a drink and fully aware Tai wouldn’t have anything for him.

That left option umber two. While Qrow was certain he didn’t want to have sex with Tai anymore, there were certain things he did enjoy doing. Making Tai uncomfortable was top of the list and if it took his mind off his problems, Qrow was fully prepared to indulge himself.

Not to mention, he really wanted a hug to get his mind off of things and Ozpin wasn’t around.

Qrow levered himself off the couch, moving slowly through the various pains that threatened to keep him from getting up. He knew by now how to gauge how much strain he could take, so it wasn’t enough to stop him.

If he knew Tai, his brother-in-law would be in the back garden, moving dirt around while Ruby played with the dog. After everything Tai had been through, he went to a lot of lengths to keep his girls safe. Still, if Yang was going to be a Huntress and Ruby was going to follow her, there wouldn’t be much Tai could do anymore.

An unusual swell of sympathy hit Qrow. Now that he had a daughter of his own, he could understand why Tai did the things he did. That didn’t mean he wasn’t still going to mock the guy, but there would always be a part of him that would agree wholeheartedly and take notes to see if there was anything worth trying on his own.  
Qrow made it out the backdoor before a dizzy spell caught up with him. His knees buckled and, unable to move well enough to catch himself, he toppled sideways into the bed of sunflowers that ran along the wall of the house. Everything went black for a minute.

“Well, Qrow, I can’t really say I’m surprised,” Tai was saying, looping an arm under Qrow’s neck and pulling him up a little bit. “Nearly every time you come to my house, something happens to my sunflowers. It was like this at Beacon, too. As soon as you got even the slightest bit upset, my shelf on the wall was the first thing to come down.”

“Sorry about that,” Qrow managed to say. There was more pain in the words than he meant for it to be, but at least they came out clear. He pulled his knees up weakly, giving Tai enough space to slide his other arm under them and lift him out of the flowerbed.

“Just tell me you didn’t hurt yourself worse. Ozpin will hit me with his cane if he thinks I can’t look after you properly,” Tai replied. Qrow could feel muscles shifting in his arms as Tai lifted him off the ground. That brought back memories, just like everything else in this house.

“Nope, I’m good,” Qrow said, the words coming more easily now. “No need to fear for your life this time.”

“Ruby, why don’t you practice with your Aura the way I showed you?” Tai said over his shoulder. “The sunflowers would appreciate a boost, you know.”

“I’m on it, Dad!” Ruby exclaimed, wiggling a little so she could pick up one of the crushed flowers.

“I figured it was a good way to teach her how to control her Aura,” Tai explained as he carried Qrow back inside. “Being able to extend it to share with the Aura of a plant will easily carry over to putting her Aura into her weapons, when she’s ready for them. We’re both getting pretty good at it.”

“It figures that you would figure out how to use Aura on plants,” Qrow mumbled. His disturbed nap had left him more tired than he had been before.

That didn’t stop him from noticing that Tai had gone past the couch and was heading farther into the house. In the direction of his bedroom…

“Don’t look at me like that, Qrow,” Tai chided, unable to hide the snicker lurking in his voice. “I know what your sleep patterns are like, so as a good host and caretaker, I’m going to make sure you get some rest.”

“I knew that,” Qrow complained. “There’s no way you’re going to buy into Ozpin’s crazy ideas.”

Tai pushed the door open, giving off a snort. “Does he still think we’re going to have an affair? I thought that was over a couple of years ago.”

“Nah, once Oz gets an idea, he doesn’t drop it that fast. He still thinks you’re lonely.”

“That’s not something you’re going to be able to help with, Qrow,” Tai said, depositing Qrow gently on the bed. He bustled about for a moment, pulling the curtains closed, before coming back and settling down beside him.

“Maybe now much, but I’m still your friend,” Qrow said quietly. It still hurt to move, but he shifted around to put his head on Tai’s shoulder. Gentle fingers combed through his hair.

“I’m glad we’re friends,” Tai mused. “So much has happened since we were kids. I think you’d be long dead if you didn’t have people looking out for you.”

“Possibly. I worry more about you. Oz knows people pretty well and he thinks the girls growing up is going to hit you hard. Remember you’re not the only one looking out for them, ok?”

“I’m never going to forget everything you’ve done for my daughters. Now go to sleep before you crack my bedframe or something.”

Qrow had to laugh at that, but his eyes glued themselves shut nearly on command.


End file.
